Wimbledon will be key to Sampras decision

Desire to leave All England Club on a positive note may lead US Open champion to extend his playing career

Late last Thursday afternoon, Pete Sampras completed a brief practice session at Villanova University outside Philadelphia, the city where he won his first professional tournament 12 years ago.

Sampras was appearing at the World TeamTennis Smash Hits, a benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. He would face his old rival Andre Agassi in a pair of exhibition sets later in the evening, but the 31-year-old American will not compete again in an official tournament for the rest of 2002. He is seriously contemplating retirement.

Sampras is in a good frame of mind, at ease with himself, still wrapped in layers of emotion after securing an exhilarating 14th Grand Slam championship triumph at the US Open last month. He had ousted Agassi for his fifth crown in New York, claiming his first tournament win since Wimbledon of 2000, reaffirming his status as almost certainly the greatest player in tennis history.

But as we sit down for an interview in the locker room, an introspective Sampras is still in doubt about his plans. "After the Open," he tells me, "I just assumed I would keep going with my tennis. But once that kind of high wore off, I was thinking: 'What am I going to do?' Now we are in October and the Australian Open is not until January. But come November I will have to decide that I am going to do this all the way, or not at all."

When Sampras sealed his record-breaking 13th major title two years ago at the All England Club, he realised his most substantial goal. His revival in New York has left him similarly content.

"The last couple of years really took a lot out of me, mentally and emotionally," he says. "To come through that and win the Open meant more to me than anything I have ever done, because with 13 majors I could have walked away from the game at 29 and felt damned good about what I had done. But I felt there was something left in me. I thought I could still turn it on at a major, and I did. It's a great place to be, but the reality is: where do I go from here?"

By adding another shining Grand Slam title to his collection, Sampras not only silenced the sceptics who had counted him out but he also rewarded himself for his unwavering spirit and fortitude. He did it with dignity, and spoke eloquently with his awe-inspiring tennis. But how did it feel to put so many people in their place?

"I just wanted to win another major, to prove it most importantly to myself," Sampras said. "Winning the US Open was not the biggest win of my career but it was the most important. Putting people in their place is not really me. But I feel very vindicated because every time my name came up for the past year it was all very negative, from Boris Becker and others. And in my own way, just with what I did with my racket, I was able to throw a lot of egg around. That felt really good from a human side."

As gratifying as his latest big victory surely was, Sampras will surely find even larger emotional rewards with the arrival of his first child, due in early December. That is a moment he and his wife Bridgette are eagerly anticipating. "Both Bridgette and myself are very happy and waiting for the day to come," Sampras said. "Our marriage is rock-solid and we know the focus will come to our child. My brother just had a girl and my sister had a boy and being part of that has been great. They tell me that this is what life is all about. Tennis is very important to me, but with a family and a child your priorities change."

Surely, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras wants her husband to finish his time as a tennis champion following his own instincts, rather than listening to those outside his inner circle who do not fully understand him.

Speaking of his wife's supportiveness, Sampras says: "I have had moments when I considered stopping during this year for the wrong reasons. If I decided to leave now, it would be for the right reasons. My wife has been pretty honest with me about not listening to the critics and believing in myself. It was good to hear those things day in and day out from her. But now it is kind of eerie how quickly this is happening, even thinking about retirement. I will figure it out. But it wouldn't make sense going through the motions and doing my farewell waves to say goodbye."

Knowing full well the justifiable reasons he would have for getting out of the game, Sampras realises the lure of Wimbledon could keep him around. Despite his modern record of seven titles on the All England Club lawns, he is reluctant to end his record there with the stunning second-round loss he suffered against George Bastl on Court 2 in June. He says: "I always think about going back to Wimbledon. There is no guarantee I would win there, but I would be able to end my time there on more of a positive note."

No reasonable critic believes Sampras could have lost to Bastl on a show court. He makes no excuses for his defeat, but is candid about his feelings. "[Referee] Alan Mills gave me his reasons for putting me on Court 2. He said he had a couple of good matches to put on Court 1. And I said: 'It doesn't really matter who else is playing. I just feel I have done well enough at Wimbledon over the years to get a show court'. It did hurt because playing on Centre Court or Court 1 is my home-court advantage."

Sampras might also be spurred on by taking another crack at Roland Garros and trying to win the only major title to elude him. If he does play the 2003 season, he is giving strong consideration to trading his old and trusted Wilson Pro Staff – which he has used his entire pro career – for an alternative frame. "If I play next year I will try a bigger racket. The racket I play with now against these guys with the newer technology makes it very tough for me. So I might make the switch for the clay. Over the next month, I am going to try some different things while I make up my mind about next year."

He has some thoughts on what path he would take should he elect to retire. "I would like to be a part of the big tennis academy that is being built in Los Angeles, from a tennis and a financial standpoint. When the Tennis Channel gets started, I will help with that. Players that have stopped competing have always gotten bored after six months. I know I need to keep busy. I hope my name will open up a few doors. I want to feel fulfiled."

The way Sampras looks at it, he cannot go wrong whether he quits tennis or not. This much is certain: concluding his career with a triumph at a Grand Slam event would separate Sampras from every other great champion of the Open era. No one else – not Borg or McEnroe, not Laver or Connors – has had the grace or the gumption to leave the competitive arena after a major tournament victory. "It is a no-lose situation for me," says Sampras. "If I play next year I won't have the same pressures I had this year. If I decide to stop I will just enjoy the next chapter of my life."

If Sampras takes his extraordinary talent, drive and intelligence into other endeavours, he will be sorely missed. He has been the game's ultimate shot-making stylist, the most complete player of his generation, a remarkable sportsman and role model, a man of rare class and character. In many ways, he has been larger than the game he plays. How does he assess his legacy?

"I don't look at myself in terms of being a legend," he says with characteristic modesty. "The reality is that I have done really well. I think this last US Open showed a lot about who I am. More than just playing the game, this was about being 31 and still wanting to do it when people didn't believe in me. You always dream about how you might stop, and the storybook ending at the Open a month ago could be it. But I just don't know. It is still up in the air."

PETE SAMPRAS THE LIFE AND TIMES

Name: Pete Sampras

Born: 12 August, 1971, Washington, DC

Lives: Los Angeles

Family: Wife, actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras.

Career: Turned professional game in 1988 as a 16-year old qualifier and had a game that was considered 'dangerous' by fellow competitors. Building on his serve, he took only two years to reach the World Top 10. In 1990, aged 19 years 28 days, he became the youngest ever US Open champion. He won that first major title defeating Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe along the way. Won the 1991 IBM World Championship and in 1992 he played on the US team that won back the Davis Cup. Went on to collect two Australian Open titles (1994, 1997), three more US Open titles (1993, 1995-96, 2002) and seven Wimbledon titles (1993-95, 1997-2000).

Known as: 'Pistol Pete' and 'The King Of Swing'. Official website: www.petesampras.com.

Lowlights: Playing on clay. This has prevented him ever winning the French Open. Being beaten by George Bastl on Court 2 this year while aiming to equal Bjorn Borg's record five successive Wimbledon titles.

He says: 'I never wanted to be the great guy or the colourful guy or the interesting guy. I wanted to be the guy who won titles.'

They say: 'He was always the most complete player. He has the power, he has the speed, he has the touch. He is the best player ever.' Boris Becker long before the US Open.

Famous for: His often unreturnable serve. In 1993 he established a new ATP Tour record when he became the first player to serve over 1,000 aces in a season. Outstanding athletic ability.